St Helens spine options analysed after Jonny Lomax, Jack Welsby blows adds to woes

St Helens will be forced to undergo another shuffle of their spine this weekend when they travel to Hull FC.

Paul Wellens’ side were dealt a major injury blow in their 46-4 defeat at Leigh on Friday when star man Jack Welsby came off with a hamstring injury. Although the extent of the injury has not yet been disclosed, hamstring injuries are never quick recoveries, so you’d suspect he’d be missing for at least a couple of weeks.

And things went from bad to worse on Monday afternoon for Saints, who already have a lengthy injury list, when key half-back Jonny Lomax was referred to an RFL tribunal after a Grade E head contact charge which could see him banned for a number of matches if found guilty. The range of sanctioning for a Grade E offence is three to five matches.

The Saints skipper was charged following an incident in their defeat at Leigh which he was sin-binned for at the time. Another one of Lomax’s team-mates will also be missing this Saturday against Hull, after experienced centre Mark Percival was given a one-match ban for a Grade B head contact charge.

Moses Mbye, who has been mainly utilised by Saints as half-back or hooker, also left the field at Leigh with a knock, so Saints fans will desperately be hoping he’s available to play this week.

With the aforementioned injuries and suspensions in mind, Wellens is running thin on the ground when it comes to options. Here’s the primary ones at the St Helens coach’s disposal ahead of the trip across the Pennines to face the Black and Whites on Saturday.

A recall for Lewis Dodd and a look at the spine

This feels like the most obvious – and indeed, perhaps the most likely option of them all.

Lewis Dodd has been a mainstay in the Saints spine ever since be broke into the first-team but has been dropped from Wellens’ matchday 17 in recent weeks. He would be the obvious, and most experienced, option that Saints have at their disposal to fill the void left by Lomax, should he be banned at Tuesday night’s tribunal.

Partnering Dodd in the halves would be Mbye, you suspect, should he be deemed fit to play this week after picking up a knock in their loss to Leigh.

Hooking dilemma

With Mbye expected to slot into the halves, that would toss up the possibility of Daryl Clark playing 80 minutes, which he has been no stranger to throughout his career: but has only played the full game a few times for Saints since arrival in the off-season. Saints could call upon young hooker Jake Burns though as a deputy hooking option, with the former Halton Farnworth Hornets junior having made his Saints debut earlier this month.

If Wellens wanted to go with a half-back option on the bench to provide cover for Mbye if he’s not fully fit, then they could go with academy product Will Roberts, who has spent time on loan with Championship side Swinton Lions and League 1 outfit Rochdale Hornets this season.

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Harry Robertson to stay at fullback

If there is one positive to come out of this rough patch that Saints find themselves in, then it’s Harry Robertson. The 18-year-old made his debut against Wigan Warriors earlier this month and has impressed in his three first-team appearances so far, so you’d wager on him remaining in the No. 1 role this weekend.

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Who will replace Mark Percival?

You’d suspect Ben Davies will keep his spot at right centre but there are a couple of avenues Saints could go down to fill the void left by the suspended Percival. Waqa Blake could be shifted into the centres from the wing with Tee Ritson or Jon Bennison potentially returning out wide: but the most likely option would be that Matt Whitley moves into the centre spots from the back-row. Whilst it’s not Whitley’s preferred position, he has played there a fair bit for Catalans Dragons in previous years.

Love Rugby League’s predicted St Helens spine for Hull FC clash

Full-back: Harry Robertson
Stand-off: Moses Mbye
Scrum-half: Lewis Dodd
Hooker: Daryl Clark
Mark Percival’s replacement: Matt Whitley
Bench option: Jake Burns

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